Fox Knight
by Akumakagemaru
Summary: When their world has fallen to darkness, the final caretakers of the Mystic Force morphers use a spell to transport them to safety in a new world, though the plan only half works. With a new tenant and the powers of the Wolf Warrior, Naruto will rise.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Just an idea I really wanted to write, even though I know I have too many already. None of the original characters will be featured, as this takes place several years after the events of Mystic Force, though as I haven't seen the show in a few years, there will probably be some discrepancies, though I'll try and explain everything as best I can. Enjoy!**

**x-x-x-x-x**

A large clearing, not far from Briarwood, would become the last known location of the Mystic Force Rangers. A woman in a white suit, Snow Staff in hand, stands at the center of the clearing, thick white lines spreading out from her kneeling position as she chants rapidly, the end of her staff buried in the ground, the epicenter of the magic circle being formed around her. Meanwhile, all around her, carnage reigns. A surprisingly even battle, considering the vast numbers of monsters encroashing upon the clearing, nonetheless held at bay by a warrior in crimson armor, his saber flashing as it cuts down one, two, three at a time from the sheer force of his swing, a dozen across the clearing falling to a cry of "Wolf Attack" every so often.

However, no one, regardless of how powerful, can stand against such an army alone, and as the monsters withdraw slightly, pulling back before another wave attempts to overwhelm him, the fatigue makes itself obvious in the slowly drooping angle of the sword, the faint trembling of the shield, and the gasping breaths as he struggles to remain on his feet, buying time for his two living comrades to complete their missions.

"Zane, it's nearly done! Just hold them off a little longer!" the white ranger says, panting slightly between words as her own exhaustion sets in. _'Now where's Derrick? he shouldn't have taken this long...what if he...no, he will make it! ...I hope...'_ Such a spell had never been attempted before, only planned in theory, and she was beginning to see why. The sheer amount of energy alone was staggering; if Derrick hadn't charged the bulk of his energy into her Snow Staff beforehand, she might not have managed it at all. But even worse, the length of the spell ensured that what little energy she was able to regenerate was quickly spent.

Zane, the warrior in crimson armor, stood guard before her, carefully observing the swarm surrounding the two on all sides. He tensed briefly as he felt a light pressure against his elbow, before realizing it was merely his companion, reaching out for comfort - comfort for both of them. She was always the most magically powerful of the trio, where Zane was the strongest, and Derrick was the fastest, resulting in each of their respective self-assigned missions. To create the portal, to defend the portal...and to retrieve the stolen Mystic Morphers, taken from the slaughtered, inexperienced youths who had been chosen in a moment of desperation by the three caretakers, though now only the caretakers themselves world had fallen to darkness, and to the best of their knowledge, they were the only free humans left alive. The morlocks had risen, the Master ruled the earth, and his generals were spreading their domination to the few isolated corners of the earth they had yet to control entirely.

They both tensed, her with worry, him with adrenaline and fury, as the seemingly endless swarm started to press just a bit closer, though a commotion to their right caught the attention of the rangers and morlocks alike, as a streak of gold and blue carved a path through the monsters, panting, if anything, even harder than his companions, who felt their second wind as they realized the identity of the man. In a desperate run, he met them, turning to present his back to his fellow rangers, brandishing his weapon at their foes, whispering to his allies, "I have them, all five. Is the spell ready?"

"Almost," she replies, pumping the last of the energy needed to fuel the spell into her staff, and then to the circle. At opnce, the lines seemed to grow deeper and brighter, carving themselves into the ground even as their light reached up, blinding the rangers and morlocks. However, the rangers moment of victory could only take a tragic turn, seconds before they would have been whisked away to safety.

With a horrendous bellow, one of the Master's most feared new generals swept through the tide of lesser creatures, shoving and killing those who were too slow to get out of his way. With another roar, his raised a blade high over his head, ignoring the light of the raw magic scorching his body beyond repair, and he brought it down with more force than any human could dream of wielding. Derrick was frozen with shock at the fact that he even made it through the racing waves of energy, too tired from donating so much energy to this very effort, as well as his fight and mad dash to retreive the Morphers. He could only stare in horror at the bloody stump that used to be his closest friend's right arm. He barely registered the scream of agony, fury, and sorrow from the man as his eyes met the widened, dying eyes of the woman who had become so close to them both over the years, her suit gone as the life left her body, the monster's sword having cleaved through her shoulder, and straight to her heart. It was little consolation that within seconds, the killer disappeared as pure energy washed over him, an unintended passenger in the preset conditions of the spell, and everything went white.

**x-x-x-x-x**

Naruto was happy. At least, as happy as he could be under the circumstances, having just learned an amazing new jutsu, and been made a genin after all. In the darkness, he thought about all that had happened, and how tomorrow he was supposed to meet his new sensei. So distracted by these thoughts, he almost didn't notice the shambling figure walking towards him, and didn't hear the frantic mumbling until he was close enough to see the blood soaked arm across his stomach, the appearance in the dim light making Naruto's stomach turn slightly.

"Uh, hey mister, are you alright?" No response. Eyes narrowing slightly, Naruto decided to do what he did best - rush headlong into the situation. He ran up to the man and grabbed his arm, opening his mouth to ask again, though he stopped when he realized the stranger had been clutching a stump. He panicked, and half pushed, half dropped the man onto the ground, trying to listen to the seemingly incoherant ramblings. He reached up and pushed the damp bangs of dark hair, most likely soaked with the cold sweat that seemed to cover the man's body, and stared at the equally dark eyes, and realized he was probably in shock, or something similar.

"Don't worry mister, I'll get help!" Naruto said as he created a clone, which immediately ran off to find the Hokage. As he turned back to look at the strange man again, Naruto felt a grip like iron close around his forearm, wincing for a moment at the tightness of the fist, and stared with wide eyes as the man now showed a desperate focus, a face contorted with pain and concentration, dark eyes staring into blue, and Naruto felt an odd sensation on his arm. He looke down, and felt even more surprised as a mix of red and purple energy seemed to be flowing from the man into Naruto, the aura around the stranger quickly growing thinner, and as the aura finally disappeared entirely, so did every sign of life in the bloodied man. His grip finally relaxed, eyes now completely vacant, and jaw slackening in the way only a corpse can manage, and Naruto suddenly felt pain. Blistering, agonizing pain, his world turning to white as he collapsed, falling to his side, losing consciousness just as he heard his name being called, the Sandaime running towards him, ANBU in tow.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: To fans of Sol et Luna, don't worry, its still my main focus, just had to take a break and get this out of my system - when inspiration strikes me, I've learned not to ignore it. To fans of Fox Knight, enjoy, may post another chapter fairly soon, but after that don't expect an update for a while; as I've said, Sol et Luna is my primary fic.

Chapter 2

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood just outside the hospital door, glancing at the unconscious body of Uzumaki Naruto, a surrogate grandson, and listened intently to the ANBU report. It was incomplete, of course, as the ANBU hadn't been close enough to overhear anything, and had immediately sent a clone to inform the Sandaime of the strange event. Uzumaki's clone had actually run into the real ANBU, and the Sandaime himself, along with the squad of elite shinobi assigned as his bodyguards, had arrived at roughly the same time, though for different reasons.

Now, the aged Hokage sighed softly, arms behind his back, and reached into his robes to remove his pipe. A passing nurse glared at the offending item, causing Sarutobi to sheepishly replace it. Immediately, however, his mood dimmed, staring blankly at the jinchuuriki as he lay in the bed, comatose according to the medic-nin.

He was just about to turn back to the ANBU who had given the report when a slight movement caught his eye. His eyes widened as Naruto quickly sat up and, after apparently studying the IVs attached to him, yanked them loose and left them dangling as he quickly drooled from the bed, and stumbled for a second. He quickly righted himself and grabbed his pants and jacket, dressing in a flash. As soon as the jacket was on, Sarutobi opened the door, giving the ANBU a subtle signal to stay out as he entered, a slight smile on his face. "Naruto-kun?"

Although he appeared calm and relaxed, Sarutobi all but panicked when Naruto glanced at him, freezing in place, and cocked his head to one side, a faint frown on his face and a look of vague recognition that worried the old man deeply, though not as much as the response.

"Hokage-sama?"

The tone was more of a question, and the somewhat awkward sound was telling. Not with the sama - he doubted the word had ever passed the boy's lips. No, the worrying part was Hokage, spoken as if for the first time, when Naruto had said it on a daily basis. Dropping the smile, Sarutobi adjusted his stance slightly, and stared into blue eyes, and spoke with the sternness of the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure. "What is your name?"

He tensed as he noticed the young boy doing the same, feet sliding to position themselves, and blue eyes narrowing slightly. The face was surprisingly blank. "Look, I'm not your enemy, okay? Will other give me a chance to explain?"

"That depends. Tell me your name, and I might." Sarutobi stared as Naruto - no, the stranger - tensed briefly before relaxing, looking down for a moment before meeting his eyes once more. "My name is Zane, and...you'll never believe me." Sarutobi relaxed slightly himself, but remained impassive as he stared the possessed child down. "I suggest you allow me to decide that."

Naruto/Zane stared for a second, then nodded, and his entire posture relaxed. He slid his hands into his pockets and seemed to slouch slightly, not unlike a certain Nara, with his feet still set apart. The entire stance was so unlike Naruto, Sarutobi was disconcerted briefly before focusing once again on his words. "Have You ever heard of...Power Rangers?"

Sarutobi's eyebrows lifted slightly before his eyes narrowed in thought. After a few seconds, he shook his head in the negative.

"Didn't think so. Okay...hard to explain...did you happen to find something like a cell phone on my...body?" The Sandaime stared blankly for several long seconds before Naruto/Zane sighed. "Nevermind...something with a lot of red coloring, looked kind of mechanical?"

At that, Sarutobi's eyes widened slightly, and he made a quick gesture with one hand, glancing out the window. The masked shinobi outside nodded, and disappeared. Just a minute later, he reappeared, the device held in one hand as he gave it to them Hokage, who in turn prepared to hand it to the blonde.

"I'm going to transform when I use this, so don't freak out, okay? I won't attack, but its easier to demonstrate than explain." Sarutobi nodded after a moment and relented, finally releasing the morpher. Naruto/Zane took it and nodded gratefully, stepping back as he flipped it open, snd raised it into the air.

"Magical Source! Mystic Force!"

Sarutobi stared into the blinding light that followed, though his eyes widened when it disappeared, and he barely managed to stop his jaw from hanging as a much taller figure stood in his place. He wore red and black head to toe, with some gold and silver, including two shoulder pauldrons shaped like wolf heads, and even his face was hidden behind a black visor. He also held a red and silver shield in his left hand, and a large, straight sword in his right. The imposing figure easily stood a head taller then Sarutobi himself, and if the shape of the armor was any indication, he appeared muscular enough to match Gai.

"This is a Power Ranger - I am the Wolf Warrior. I am one of the last Rangers...I don't know where the others...the other is...or where the morphers may have landed, assuming he wasn't able to hold onto them."

He voice was deeper also, Sarutobi noted, and he finally relaxed to his normal state as the armored warrior let sword and shield hang loosely, neither prepared to launch an attack. "You say others...how many more of you are there?"

The knight paused briefly, then spoke, though he sounded far less confident than previously, and his voice was softer. "There are five Rangers, red, blue, yellow, green, and pink, and then...the Solaris Knight, my best friend...I believe he survived, though I can't be sure...and finally...the white Snow Ranger who...did not survive."

Sarutobi clenched his jaw tightly as the considered the numbers, though he also noted the oddly blank tone as he finished. "So...there are seven additional morphers, as you called them...and at least one is currently active?"

The Wolf Warrior nodded, and Sarutobi continued. "Very well. Considering you seek to be peaceful, I suppose I will consider you to be a loyal shinobi of the village...though would you mind explaining how you share his body, and how you seem to be in control?"

"That...was a spell, one of the few I had studied, as it sounded interesting, though I never expected to have to use it. I honestly can't tell you the why, as I was in shock and...more than a bit traumatized. As for the how, I can try to explain it, but I think that might be best left time. Now...the reason I was able to take control of the body is simple enough. This is basically my body, and that was Naruto's body. When one of us is unconscious, the other can take over, but otherwise, when we're both conscious, the dominant personality can assert control at any time. We were both weakened, though mine is longer term, because of my magical drain after using so much energy, where his was temporary, shock of absorbing my soul. Basically, it'll be a while before I can assert control even when he's unconscious, unless he's transformed. Did you catch all that?"

Sarutobi frowned, but nodded before speaking. "All right...well, just so we have a better idea how you fight, I'd like to arrange a few spars, to assess your general level of skill. Will that be acceptable to you?"

Zane nodded, and Sarutobi exited the room, speaking quietly to the ANBU.

xXx

Less than half an hour later found Zane, still transformed, standing across from a coughing shinobi holding a wickedly curved sword in both hands - Gecko Hayate, he'd been introduced as. They were at training ground eighteen, which appeared to be a smooth plain with soft grass all around. Off to the side a fair distance stood the Hokage and his visible bodyguard, alongside a shinobi with peculiar silver hair and a mask covering almost his entire face, Hatake Kakashi.

Zane had barely gotten into his stance when Hayate disappeared. He froze for a second, then - much to the surprise of their audience - lifted his sword with the tip above and behind his head, blocking an equally surprised Hayate. With a soft grunt, he lifted the blade and spun to his right, attempting to throw Hayaye off and destabilize him. He wasn't a Jounin for nothing, however, and was able to right himself in midair and block himself, using the momentum of the swing to kick off with one foot, somersaulting through the air before landing on his feet, and immediately rushing headlong at the Ranger. While Zane wasn't quite as fast as Hayate, he had the advantage of being able to use both his sword and shield. Everyone watching was surprised when Zane actually blocked with the sword, then thrust the shield into Hayate's chest, knocking him off balance for a brief second and following up with a powerful thrust that would've skewered a lung if not for the kawarimi.

As the battle continued for several minutes, Sarutobi stared intently at Zane's movements, while discussing him with Kakashi.

"I don't know if he's quite on the level of a Jounin, but I'd say he's a Special Jounin at the very least."

Sarutobi nodded. "Agreed. Simply being able to keep up with a Jounin - even one using only a single style of attack - speaks highly of his abilities. His kenjutsu looks exceptional, though I'll leave that evaluation to Hayate. Do you think he'll be able to keep up with you?"

Kakashi stared for a long moment before nodding. "I believe so. Hayate-san is tiring, its easy to see his movements are becoming just a bit slower. In his defense, that sickness takes a lot out of him, and he hasn't fought quite so hard since he fell ill. Having said that..." Kakashi trailed off as Hayate disappeared again, not fast enough for Kakashi to lose sight of him, but certainly faster than quite a few Jounin could even manage. He reappeared directly behind Zane, who blocked again just as he had the first time, but immediately disappeared again. He did this several times, Zane barely managing to block the last time before, even to Kakashi's surprise, two Hayates appeared behind Zane, one to each side as they ran.

They both wore surprised expressions when Zane pivoted on one foot, twisting to the left, and held up his shield. Even their audience was surprised when the shield split into two parts, one above and one below, with a glowing light in the center. With a cry of "Wolf Attack!" several lights shot from the shield, blasting the ground where both Hayates had just reached. He immediately swung his sword down, forcing the reappearing Hayate, the original no doubt, to stop in his tracks, coughing harder than ever as he was forced to avert his attack, turning the blade to catch Zane's sword before it could reach his right shoulder.

Hayate coughed harder than before, and as he noticed the blades slowly dipping, he sighed. "I yield," he said, and Zane nodded, lifting his sword and laying it over his shoulder as the shinobi stood. Kakashi shook his head and glanced at the Hokage. "Looks like its my turn. Anyways, as I was saying, having said that...it takes a lot of skill to Be able to fight at that level, and Hayate-san still isn't exactly a slouch. This guy is dangerous, which makes me grateful he seems to be on our side..."

With that, Kakashi walked onto the field, hands in his pockets, and Hayate walked to where Kakashi had stood beside the Sandaime, who spoke, even as he watched the slouching Jounin straighten, clearly raking this spar seriously. "What is your evaluation of his skills, Hayate-san?"

After a brief coughing fit, the swordsman replied. "His kenjutsu is somewhat rough, but effective - more like prodigious instinct honed to a razor sharpness. I don't know how effective he'll be against a ninjutsu specialist like Kakashi-san, but at the very least he should be able to hold his own for a time. Against someone like Maito Gai, or one of Kiri's infamous swordsman, I think he might excel, as the bulk of his abilities seem to be his body, and the unnaturally resilient armor - I'm going to have to sharpen my blade where I had glancing hits." To demonstrate, as well as another coughing fit overtaking him, Hayate showed Sarutobi the end of his sword, which had a noticeable dull look as opposed to the rest of the blade.

Meanwhile, Kakashi and Zane stared at each other for several minutes without moving, both seemingly relaxed, though each could tell the other was anything but relaxed. Kakashi was the first to speak. "Aren't you going to attack?"

Zane shook his head slightly. "No, not if I can help it. Sometimes its better to react than to act." Kakashi nodded at that, and eye-smiled. "Well then, I hate to disappoint." Raising his hand - he waved to Zane, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Zane tensed visibly, then leapt into the air, thrusting the tip of his sword into he ground, where another puff of smoke followed. He barely managed to bring his shield up, upside-down behind him, to block Kakashi, who had been attempting to thrust his kunai into Zane's neck.

"Don't you shinobi ever try something different?" Kakashi eye-smiled again. "Well, can't blame me for trying."

Zane seemed to smirk as he replied, body contorted as Kakashi held his right forearm in a tight, vice-like grip. "No, but I prefer to fight face-to-face...in other words, buzz off." Kakashi's visible eye widened as the shield slid apart again, and disappeared in a burst of smoke as the lights shot forth again.

Off to the side, Sarutobi watched, and Hayate nodded. "There is also...that. A considerable asset for someone who so obviously focuses on melee, it could be a useful surprise against someone who doesn't know - or as he just proved, someone who forgot." Sarutobi chuckled softly at that. "True...been a while since I've seen him panic like that. I don't think he expected someone who acts like a samurai to think of that."

The fight continued as Kakashi reappeared across the clearing, and raised his hands to perform a jutsu. "Well, now looks like a good time for this...Earth Style: Bedrock Coffin!"

Zane stumbled for a split second as the earth shifted, and several large slabs of earth appeared in all directions before seemibg to fall inwards, forming a pile of stone as two larger slabs rose up. Like before, they leaned inwards and nearly fell onto the pile, before an explosion was seen on the side facing Kakashi, who looked slightly surprised as Zane ran from the cloud of dust before the slabs could crush him. Roaring with fury as he rushed towards Kakashi, the shinobi ran through more seals, ending in the tiger seal as he lifted his hands, still held in that seal, to his lips. "Fire Style: Grand Fireball!"

A massive rolling fireball emerged from Kakashi's mouth, setting the grass ablaze as Zane continued to rush headlong into it. Not a moment later, more of the powerful, destructive lights tore through the flame, forcing Kakashi to leap backwards, ducking under the powerful swing of the blade, only to flinch as a booted foot slammed into his side, having followed the blade in his spin. Kakashi tumbled for a few feet before righting himself, and stared at a now panting Zane.

Kakashi stared for a few seconds, then eye-smiled again. "Well, that was interesting. Fireproof?" Zane, still panting, lifted his sword and shield as he replied. "Something like that..."

In a second, Zane had launched himself at Kakashi, who hadn't expected him to attack so quickly, and barely blocked by crossing a pair of kunai. Zane lashed out with a kick again, sending Kakashi stumbling back as it landed on his stomach, and the sword thrust forward, into the center of Kakashi's chest before he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "That is the most annoying technique I've ever seen..." Zane muttered, glancing around. After a second he spun, swinging his sword upwards and forcing Kakashi to abort his attack, leaping backwards to avoid being hit.

As Zane took a step towards the elite Jounin, he felt a pair of hands grab his legs, and suddenly found himself buried up to his neck. He groaned quietly and looked around at Sarutobi, who chuckled at the sight. "Okay, I take it back. This is the most annoying technique I've ever seen." With that, Kakashi re-emerged from the ground, still smiling beneath his mask as he helped pull the warrior back out.

Sarutobi approached, Hayate trailing slightly, along with an ANBU, and held up his pipe to smoke. "Well, all things considered, I would easily qualify you as a Chuunin, based on your skills alone. However, Naruto is still a Genin, and currently the one who will be in control primarily...correct?" At the Hokage's dangerous expression, Zane nodded, as he'd never intended to assert control more often than necessary. "Good. Then you will have no records - you are, after all, a dead man in nearly every sense. I believe the particulars can be sorted out without much difficulty. Why don't we return to my office to discuss this further?"

Zane made to agree before a strange sensation overwhelmed him, snd he sighed. "Much as I'd like to, that's gonna have to wait...Naruto is waking up now, and I think we need to talk." With that, he reversed his transformation, and stood facing the Sandaime briefly, before his eyes closed, his posture relaxed - and he collapsed to the ground.


End file.
